Search for Sterile Neutrinos with a Radioactive Source at Daya Bay

Abstract

The far site detector complex of the Daya Bay reactor experiment is proposed as a location to search for sterile neutrinos with > eV mass. Antineutrinos from a 500 kCi 144Ce-144Pr beta-decay source (DeltaQ=2.996 MeV) would be detected by four identical 20-ton antineutrino targets. The site layout allows flexible source placement; several specific source locations are discussed. In one year, the 3+1 sterile neutrino hypothesis can be tested at essentially the full suggested range of the parameters Delta m^2_{new} and sin^22theta_{new} (90% C.L.). The backgrounds from six nuclear reactors at >1.6 km distance are shown to be manageable. Advantages of performing the experiment at the Daya Bay far site are described.

References in corpus (6)

• Observation of electron-antineutrino disappearance at Daya Bay
• The Reactor Antineutrino Anomaly
• A side-by-side comparison of Daya Bay antineutrino detectors
• Status of 3+1 Neutrino Mixing
• Short-Baseline Electron Neutrino Disappearance, Tritium Beta Decay and Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay
• Search for sterile neutrinos at reactors

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Neutrino Physics with JUNO
• Light sterile neutrinos
• Sensitivity to oscillation with a sterile fourth generation neutrino from ultra-low threshold neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering
• Neutrino Oscillation Studies with Reactors
• Light Sterile Neutrinos: Status and Perspectives
• An Improved Measurement of Electron Antineutrino Disappearance at Daya Bay
• Probing Sterile Neutrino Parameters with Double Chooz, Daya Bay and RENO
• Extended Grimus-Stockinger theorem and inverse square law violation in quantum field theory
• A Sterile Neutrino Search at compact materials irradiation facility